Aviation Insider

Articles giving aviation insights

Fun at Bangalore Airport – A 10k Marathon on the Runway & A Plane Spotting Deck!

AirWhizzApr 27, 2018 No Comments

Fun at Bangalore Airport – A 10k Marathon on the Runway & A Plane Spotting Deck!

Aviation Insider

The Bangalore Airport, commonly known as the Kempegowda International Airport, has been an example of India’s growing infrastructure excellence. In fact, it was awarded the “Best Regional Airport in India and Central Asia” by SKYTRAX at the world airport awards in 2017.

To build on its reputation, the Bangalore airport has planned some interesting activities for you.

INDIA’S FIRST EVER RUNWAY RACE

Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) will organise a race called ‘Runway 10K’ on May 8th, 2018 to celebrate its 10th anniversary.

People above the age of 18 years have been asked to register for the event, which is said to be the first of its kind race to be held on an airport runway in India.

100 participants will be selected to take part in the run, which will be held between 12.45 p.m. and 2.30 p.m.

The event has already received registrations from 400 participants. The last date for registration is April 30th, 2018.

There would be no change in flight plans or schedules due to the event because May 8th falls on a Tuesday and the airport’s runway is incidentally closed every Tuesday between 12.30 p.m. and 3.00 p.m. for maintenance work.

People are looking forward to being associated with a run like this, because it has never happened before in India. This also gives KIA an opportunity to open up the airport to people other than airplane passengers as airports are restricted only to people who are travelling.

AIRPLANE SPOTTING AT THE AIRPORT

Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) will soon have a plane-spotting deck for the interested public.

For now, there is no permanent place for aircraft spotting. Interested people send an e-mail to airport officials and only after the permission is given, officials take them to suitable spots to watch the movement of flights. But in future, there are plans to set up a permanent plane-spotting deck, where people can watch airplanes.

Airplane spotters will need a valid government identity proof and will have to take permission for clicking photos and videos from airport officials to get access to the deck.

Aircraft spotting is a popular hobby amongst youngsters in European countries and airports like the Munich Airport have a dedicated spotting deck for passengers and visitors.

Bangalore based airplane spotters are looking forward to this idea being implemented and believe it’s a good initiative as several people are interested in watching airplanes and are inquisitive about how an aircraft lands and takes off. It is also a good opportunity for children to learn about how airplanes and airports function and will motivate them to become pilots in the future.

If you want to know more about the Bangalore airport, simply download the AirWhizz app. Get information on things to do at the Airport on your fingertips via the App itself and Fly Stress-Free!

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Passengers Can Now Bid For An Upgrade On Jet Airways!

AirWhizzApr 26, 2018 No Comments

Passengers Can Now Bid For An Upgrade On Jet Airways!

Aviation Insider

Jet Airways passengers travelling in economy and premier class will now be able to bid for an upgrade to a higher class of travel. This offer is called ‘JetUpgrade’ and is being introduced for the first time amongst airlines in India.

Here are the details about ‘JetUpgrade’ –

  • This offer allows all guests holding confirmed economy or premiere tickets of the airline to bid for an upgrade to premiere or first class, respectively.
  • To avail an upgrade, interested guests can place a bid on the Jet Airways website under the ‘manage my booking’ section, stating the amount they’re willing to bid for the upgrade.
  • The bidding will open at least seven days prior to the flight’s departure date and will close 24 hours before scheduled departure time.
  • Guests can modify, or even cancel their bids. However, they will not be able to withdraw their bid, once the bid is accepted as per the defined timelines.
  • All bidders will need to submit their credit card details during the bidding process but only the card of the winning bidder will be charged.
  • A revised e-ticket will be sent to the winning bidder. The original booking of all other guests will remain unaffected.
  • Jet Airways will notify the guests about the bids and their status via email well in advance of the flight’s departure.

The ‘JetUpgrade’ is an ‘industry first’ and with this service, Jet Airways looks to raise the industry benchmark for passenger experience by giving passengers the choice to upgrade to a better seat.

Launched in collaboration with ‘PlusGrade’, market-leading provider of upgrade solutions, ‘JetUpgrade’ has been made available across the airline’s entire network of 65 domestic and international destinations, and on all flights operated by it. The Jet Airways Group currently operates a fleet of 120 aircrafts domestically and internationally.

If you want to know more about the offer’s available to you on your airline, simply download the AirWhizz App. Get information about airline policies and offers on the app itself and plan your trip on the move.

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Government Receives 150 Queries For Air India Sale!

AirWhizzApr 26, 2018 No Comments

Government Receives 150 Queries For Air India Sale!

Aviation Insider

Air India can breathe a sigh of relief. The government has received around 150 queries about Air India sale from companies, which include foreign and Indian carriers, as well as non-aviation entities.

The queries that the government has received from these companies are mostly about the value of debt, employees future and the management of the national carrier. Business Consultants, Ernst And Young(EY) are acting as transaction advisors for the government and will respond to these queries. They will also seek clarification from the government in case there are any changes in the terms of sale.

This comes as a great news for the airline and government, as major players such as Indigo, Jet Airways and Tata Group ruled themselves out for acquiring stake in the airline. However, there is a chance that IndiGo might rethink their decision in case the government changes its policies regarding the airline sale.

Last week the government announced that firms not related to the aviation industry can also bid for Air India as long as they have the financial capability to take over and run the airline. Foreign airlines such as Lufthansa, Air France, KLM and Private equity firms BlackRock and Temasek are amongst the entities which have expressed interest and sent queries about the airline.

According to the terms of the deal, the government has to sell 76 percent stake in Air India along with its low-cost subsidiary Air India Express. 50 percent stake of AISATS is also up for sale.AISATS is a joint venture between Air India and SATS Limited, who is a leading airport service and food solutions provider in Asia.

The last date of submitting queries by interested parties was April 16th 2018. EY will respond to the queries by April 30th 2018. The Last date for submitting the formal Expression of Interest(EoI) by prospective buyers is May 14th 2018 and qualified bidders will be informed by the government by May 28th 2018.

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Pilot Flying Schedules Are Compromising Safety Of Passengers!

AirWhizzApr 25, 2018 No Comments

Pilot Flying Schedules Are Compromising Safety Of Passengers!

Aviation Insider

Did you know? Pilots are hired on a minimum hour contract, which means, every month they get paid for the number of hours they are on the flight and if they fly above that they get an overtime bonus.

In India, pilots have to follow a very rigid and tight schedule. According to a news article published by the Financial Express, here’s what a pilot’s schedule on an Indian Carrier looks like –

  • The pilot starts his day by flying from Delhi at 8.15 a.m. for Amritsar and lands there by 9.30 a.m.
  • The pilot then takes off from Amritsar at 10.10 a.m. for Delhi and lands at 11.30 a.m.
  • After a short break, the pilot takes off for Bangkok from Delhi at 1.55 p.m. and lands in Bangkok at 6.25 p.m. (IST)
  • Next day, the pilot takes off from Bangkok at 1.45 p.m. and lands in Mumbai at 6.25 p.m.
  • The pilot again takes off from Mumbai for Chennai at 8.50 p.m. and lands there at 10.55 p.m.
  • Next day, the pilot finally flies back to his home base, Delhi, at 6.20 p.m. and lands there at 9.15 p.m.

It is over this nature of the scheduling that the pilot fraternity has locked horns with the management teams of airlines, saying they are fatigued. They complain that airlines are extracting more work out of them as they expand their fleet, without recruiting enough new pilots.

The problem with scheduling of a pilot’s flight is that even though it is within the Flight Duty Time Limitation(FDTL) and the pilot gets the rest period allowed the airlines have found a way around the limitations.

Airlines in India are allowed ‘exemptions’ to the Aircraft Rules of 1937 and Civil Aviation Requirement(CAR). This allows them to manipulate it for maximum duty hours and minimum rest period for pilots. They use variations to increase the duty hours as well. The country’s civil aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has allowed airlines to use this as an operating norm.

A Delhi High Court order which was released on April 18th, asked the airlines and the DGCA to stop this practice. The Court cited five recent incidents that have resulted in both losses of life and aircraft, because of pilot fatigue from constant flying. The court added that the practice is driven by a profit motive and airlines are endangering people’s lives.

According to experts and professionals, this problem is caused by rapid growth in air traffic in India. It has been the highest in the world for the past five years and continues to rise. Airlines in India are falling short of the acceptable pilot-to-aircraft ratio.

It isn’t just flying time that is causing fatigue among pilots. Here are some other factors that contribute to a pilot’s fatigue –

  • One reason is the amount of time a pilot has to sit at the airport waiting or the amount of time he takes to exit an airport post flight, which are both not counted as his duty hours.
  • The second reason is Dead-Heading, a term used by IndiGo airlines which essentially means, the travel a pilot has to do to report for flight duty which is not located at the home base of the pilot.

Pilot fatigue has been an issue for a long time with both airlines and pilots agreeing that fatigue is an issue posing a very troubling threat to millions of passengers as well as valuable cargo supplies that are carried by air transport each day. Here’s are a few examples –

  • Exhaustion in the cockpit can be deadly. In 2009 an American commuter plane crashed taking the lives of everyone on board. The incident occurred when the pilot took a nap and the autopilot system failed.
  • 16 people were injured on an Air Canada flight as a result of pilot fatigue. The co-pilot woke up disorientated from a nap believing that the planet Venus was an airplane and that their aircraft was going to collide with it. In order to avoid the imaginary aircraft, he put the jet into a dive, injuring passengers in the cabin.

We can only hope that airlines take this issue seriously and not overwork pilots for increasing their profits.

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Air India Aircraft Sitting Idle Owing To Cash Crunch Of Rs 250 Cr Monthly!

AirWhizzApr 24, 2018 No Comments

Air India Aircraft Sitting Idle Owing To Cash Crunch Of Rs 250 Cr Monthly!

Aviation Insider

The Airline’s list of problems seem to keep increasing every week. Air India is facing a cash crunch on a monthly basis, which is affecting the maintenance work of its aircrafts. As a result, several aircrafts are lying unutilized.

According to the civil aviation ministry, due to lack of funds, Air India is not being able to purchase all the spare parts it needs. The airline has been showing a deficit in cash on a monthly basis, which equals to Rs 200 Crore to Rs 250 Crore.

The ministry informed the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee(PAC) that shortage of cash has been responsible for aircrafts not being operational despite a Turnaround Plan (TAP) which was implemented in 2011. Fleet expansion has also been hit by viability issues and an ongoing CBI probe into previous acquisitions on the airline.

The PAC is the governing body which is looking into Air India’s functioning after the government decided to disinvest 76 percent stake in the airline.

Replying on the measures taken by the airline to smoothen maintenance of its aircraft, the ministry told PAC that earlier the aircraft engines were sent abroad for overhaul and repair, but now these functions are performed domestically. The airline is also regularly talking to its suppliers to remove the credit hold so that a smooth supply of spares is maintained.

The ministry also stated that aircrafts acquired on lease were grounded for around two months at the time of redelivery as a number of conditions had not been satisfied by the airline.

Air India’s cash flow remains tight as total debt in the airline’s books stands at around Rs 49,000 crore. One of the objectives of the turnaround plan was to accumulate Rs 5,000 crore by selling properties, which has not happened and is a reason behind Air India’s debt remaining too high.

Though Air India’s turnover has been increasing, and the TAP and financial reconstruction plan have helped improve on-time performance, load factor and aircraft utilisation, cash losses remain high despite a declining trend. The national carrier was also planning to offer a VRS (Voluntary Retirement Scheme) to its employees. The plan was dropped as it was not financially feasible.

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Do You Know Why Airplanes Are White In Colour?

AirWhizzApr 23, 2018 No Comments

Do You Know Why Airplanes Are White In Colour?

Aviation Insider

Have you noticed that the vast majority of airplanes are white?

Sure, some have stripes, decorations, and airline branding in different colours, but the base colour is almost always white.

We at AirWhizz, did some digging and found logical explanations as to why white is almost always the colour of choice for airplanes.

1.IT KEEPS YOU COOL

White is a very good reflector of sunlight. Darker colours absorb most of the light and heat of the sun. But white ensures that the heat bounces away from the airplane, reducing the temperature inside the cabin.

This is a good thing, not only when the airplane is in the air, but also when it lands, because it takes less time to cool down. Parked aircrafts also remain cooler after sitting on the ground in a hot, sunny environment.

2.EASIER TO INSPECT A WHITE AIRPLANE

Airplanes are checked for cracks, dents and any other form of surface damage for safety reasons on a regular basis.

Nothing works better than white when it comes to spotting cracks, corrosion marks and oil leak stains on the surface as these are easily visible and leave a dark coloured trail.

3.INCREASES VISIBILITY

One good reason for an aircraft being painted in white is increased visibility.

In the event of an airplane crash or any other mishap, the white colour makes it easy to spot, both, on water and land. It is also easy to spot a white airplane in the dark.

4.HELPS THE AIRPLANE AVOID BIRD STRIKES

Birds cause airplane damage worth approximately 600 million dollars each year.

Aircraft visibility can be enhanced by white or brightly-coloured exteriors reducing the chances of mid-air bird strikes.

A study was conducted, by the science journal –  ‘Human-Wildlife Interactions’ in 2011, on the correlation between bird strike rates among different airlines and aircraft colour schemes. It showed that darker coloured aircrafts reduce the ability of birds to detect and avoid the aircraft in sufficient time.

5.PAINTING IT IS EXPENSIVE

Painting an airplane is not like painting a fence! It requires a considerable investment in terms of money, manpower, and time.

The cost of painting a regular Boeing aircraft in colour falls between $50k-$200k and takes anywhere between two and seven days, depending on the budget.

With intense competition amongst airlines, it is a wise choice for carriers to cut down on coloured planes to avoid increased costs and loss in revenue.

6.EASIER TO LEASE AND RESELL

White paint helps if the aircraft has to be sold in a hurry.

Also, majority of the airlines don’t own their aircraft. They take it on lease from airplane leasing companies such as Airbus Asset Management and Aircastle Investment.

So, buying or leasing a coloured airplane would mean that the airline would likely have to paint it white again, adding to the cost.

Hence, it makes perfect sense that the airline would pay a lower price for a fancy, coloured airplane and more for a plain white aircraft.

7.WHITE DOESN’T FADE

White colour doesn’t fade away like other colours do. Moreover, maintaining and cleaning is pretty easy.

Usually, coloured paints fade away owing to exposure to sun, particularly at 30,000 feet where there is more UV radiation and thus require a lot of paint jobs to maintain their appeal.

A white airplane, on the other hand, doesn’t appear significantly different, even after spending a considerable amount of time in the air.

8.LESS WEIGHT

Did you know that if a Boeing aircraft painted in different colours, it would add 250kgs of weight to the aircraft?  But a white paint job would not add more than 25kgs!

The more weight you add to an aircraft the higher its fuel consumption. By painting the airplanes white, American Airlines saves over $2 million per year on fuel costs.

So the next time you fly take a moment to admire the fact that even the most insignificant details about an aircraft have a lot of thought and science behind them. Nothing in the aviation industry is done without a good reason. And most importantly, every one of these factors goes toward making flying the most comfortable and safest form of travel!

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Turbulence On Air India Flight Injures Three Passengers And Damages Airplane!

AirWhizzApr 23, 2018 No Comments

Turbulence On Air India Flight Injures Three Passengers And Damages Airplane!

Aviation Insider

A turbulent Air India flight from Amritsar to Delhi injured three people and caused a window panel inside the aircraft to break on Thursday.

Here are the details of the incident-

  • Air India’s AI 462 had a turbulent flight for 10 to 15 minutes during climb phase from 8,000 feet to 21,000 feet.
  • The turbulence on the flight was such that the head of a seated passenger, who possibly did not have his seatbelt fastened, hit the overhead cabin because of a bump. The person suffered injuries.
  • The inside of a window panel on Seat 18A came off. However, the outside window did not break and there was no de-pressurization.
  • Some oxygen masks also dropped during the severe turbulent phase of the flight.
  • The overhead panel cover of a seat got cracked during the incident.

On landing in Delhi, the emergency response team took three passengers to the hospital. According to the officials, the passenger whose head hit the overhead panel got stitches. Two passengers suffered minor injuries. They took their connecting flights after getting the treatment.

Besides Air India, aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) are looking into the incident as to why it happened.

In 2014, a Singapore Airlines flight faced a similar situation while it was landing in Mumbai. About 22 passengers were injured.

A 50-second long video clip of happenings inside that flight showed an air hostess trying to fix the window panel that came off and helping an elderly passenger seated on that seat.

Here is the link to the video

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Kathmandu Airport Shuts Down After Malaysian Jet Skids Off Runway!

AirWhizzApr 21, 2018 No Comments

Kathmandu Airport Shuts Down After Malaysian Jet Skids Off Runway!

Aviation Insider

Kathmandu airport was closed on Friday after a Malaysian jet with 139 people on board aborted its take-off and skidded off the runway.

Nobody was hurt during the incident but flights flying into Kathmandu were diverted while authorities tried to move the Malindo flight which was stuck in the loose mud.

Nepal’s only international airport, Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), was forced to suspend all international flight operations after the incident took place on Thursday night. Even till Friday morning, the plane could not be pulled out because it was stuck in the mud which was soggy after rains. TIA, however, resumed international flight operations after a suspension of over 12 hours.

Below are the details about the incident-

  • Malindo Air flight OD 181 was aborted at 8:00 p.m. when it was gaining speed on the runway and ready to take off.
  • The flight captain aborted take-off at the final moment after he saw an error at the monitor inside the cockpit.
  • The plane, with 133 passengers and crew bound for Kuala Lumpur, was travelling at 165 mph.
  • The aircraft could not stop because of the take-off speed and load at the final moment and overran 50 metres south from the runway threshold.
  • It overran runway 02 and came to rest on the soggy grass beyond the threshold.

The aircraft was kept at the parking area when it was taken out and towed away from the grassland. No damage was caused to the airport runway during the incident.

The incident came one month after the crash of a US-Bangla Airways plane at Kathmandu airport, where 51 passengers lost their lives. In March 2015, a Turkish Airlines jet skid off the runway as it landed, forcing Tribhuvan International Airport to close for four days.

Nepal airport has one of the worlds most tricky runways, which is surrounded by snow-capped peaks. Even the most accomplished pilots tremble when they are about to land or take off from the airport.

 

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